


Maggie Sawyer is a Little Shit™

by bathtimefunduck



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, Gen, Maggie Sawyer is a Little Shit™, Minors present with signed permission from their parent/guardian, No Adrians were hurt in the production of this piece, Pam from HR sees all, Pam plays favorites, Space Dad Hank Henshaw | J'onn J'onzz, Winn is everyone's lil bro, countertopBrOTP
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-23
Updated: 2017-05-08
Packaged: 2018-10-09 21:04:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 10,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10421730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bathtimefunduck/pseuds/bathtimefunduck
Summary: Maggie Sawyer is a Little Shit™ and people start to notice. They love her anyway.





	1. Alex

**Author's Note:**

  * For [onefootonego (startingXI)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/startingXI/gifts).



> This is all onefootone's fault. This is what happens when you brianstorm across timezones at three am. 
> 
> Find me on tumblr at bathtimefunduck.

##  **Alex**

     It takes Alex “No way I’m giving you a grenade” Danvers entirely too long to realize that Maggie Sawyer, her amazing, beautiful, smart, funny girlfriend is a Little Shit™.

    She should have know better. She should have recognized the signs. Alex herself can be a little shit (no trademark) just because Winn makes it so easy and Kara is such a cupcake. She takes great pride in scaring everyone around her and really wishes Kara would stop telling her interdimensional friends about what a sweet and caring sister she is. Barry Allen will not know what hit him, that’s for damn sure.

    But Maggie? Oh, Maggie deserves the trademark and the proper noun.

    She should have known. The signs were there.

    The Airport. What dumb cop would think they had jurisdiction at the scene of a Presidential assassination attempt?

    Maggie isn’t dumb, Alex knows that now.

    Alex is maybe a little turned on at how metaphorically ballsy Maggie can be.

    Not that she’d ever admit that.

    Much like how Maggie is _still_ claiming the airport was her crime scene.

    The Little Shit™.

    Taking a trained and ranked extranormal operative into an alien bar with no warning. Using it as a weird ass trust exercise. Introducing her around. Casually admitting to dating female-presenting aliens and _oh not to say that I don’t date humans, Danvers_.

    The Little Shit™.

    In hindsight, between that and the handholding and Maggie’s ass in those jeans as she walked out of the DEO Medbay, Alex could probably count the steps she took towards her flying leap into Gay!Panic! and it is 100% because Maggie Sawyer is a Little Shit™.

    She should have known.

    Maggie looked entirely too comfortable all tied up in that warehouse to not be at least a tiny little shit. Alex can’t help but snicker at the thought of what Maggie would do if Alex called her “tiny” out loud. No, Maggie deserved every trademark and every proper noun application of the phrase.

    What did sweet, caring, listening, comforting Maggie do to finally make Alex realize this?

    After nine months?

    She used those god damn dimples and that head tilt against her.

    They moved in together.

    Because Alex loved Detective Dimples and she loved movie nights and cuddling and grabbing the wrong leather jacket in the morning because Maggie wears hers a size too big. Alex Danvers loves toasting bagels twice ( _who eats bread that is cooked THREE TIMES?_ ) and eating vegan ice cream she’ll never admit to loving and awful coffee because cops aren’t used to the good stuff and _this is literally battery acid, Mags, I took it to the lab for testing_.

    But that’s not what made Alex realize her girlfriend, her ride-or-die partner and love of her life, was a Little Shit™.

    No.

    See, Alex “I got dibs” Danvers can resist the Pout™ and the Eyes™ of her Kryptonian puppy of a sister. Alex can, will, and has gone rogue in the face of Disappointed SpaceDad™. _Alex “fight me” Danvers has blown up a CADMUS facility she was standing in (TWICE) because Lillian “Mother of the Year” Luthor called her bluff._

    Alex Danvers cannot resist…

    The Dimples™.

    It’s easy not to notice them being used against her in bed. She’s a little distracted by everything wonderful, everything beautiful, every touchsoundsensationlovetastefeel that she never thought she’d experience. Alex isn’t complaining. At all. Like, never.

    Not even when Maggie starts to win at pool. Actually, Alex is beginning to have her suspicions there too. Nobody is that bad and suddenly becomes that good, good enough to beat her when she’s distracted, not when Alex can take on an entire training class of new recruits while thinking about Kara _jumping to another dimension without telling her AGAIN and Barry Allen is about to get his ass kicked if Alex has to steal that portal generator herself_. Hell, Winn still has trouble keeping the ball on the table, nevermind that corner pocket ball hopping trickshot Maggie pulled off the other day.

    When Alex notices The Dimples™ being used against her though, and actually minds? They’re at the pound. Because now that they have a home together, with easy access to a park, with a balcony for sister visits _(just text first Kara, Jesus Christ)_ and actual honest to god bedroom doors _(what if she forgets to knock, Danvers, your sister’s alter ego is a gorgeous lesbian icon I need pants. And boundaries.)_ , Maggie convinces Alex that they need someone more alive than a collection of bonsai trees to come home to.

    Maggie nixes the idea of cats. She’s allergic, she says.

    Alex tries to argue that they already have a puppy, she’s an alien puppy, but at least she’s house trained. Mostly. _Honestly, Mags, she doesn’t break the furniture on purpose._

    But.

    The Dimples™.

    So Alex and Maggie make a trip to the pound, intent on rescuing some poor fuzzy soul from the nearest kill shelter. Because the SPCA pets might not find homes but they’re safe and happy and cared for and Maggie donates monthly and participates in fundraising events (because Maggie is perfect) but the dogs at the pound aren’t so lucky. The dogs at the pound might, maybe, get a flea bath, they get fed, but they don’t all get happy endings and the SPCA can’t rescue them all and _it’s basically CADMUS for pets, Alex, there’s no happy ending_.

    So Alex and Maggie make a trip to the pound, and Alex figures that, because Maggie is so adamant about saving the dogs, they’re going to come home with a big dog who pushes the boundaries of their lease restrictions. Maybe a pit mix or a shepard, something sturdy and protective for a cop and a fed.

    But city restrictions on the bigger, “dangerous” breeds mean fewer of them exist in the city and the NCSPCA makes it a point to rescue those guys before they get put down, apparently.

    Alex finds an old retriever the pound named Daisy Duke that has seen better days, but she’s friendly and isn’t too gross when Daisy licks her hand. The dog has been there for weeks and no one has claimed her, she isn’t chipped, and the staff thinks she was just left behind. Alex knows that feeling.

    Alex turns to face Maggie, the love of her life, content that she found the one dog she could live with, share their downtime cuddles with. Walks in the park, Kara dogsitting when they’re both pulling long shifts, a good old girl who needs a retirement home.

    But Maggie has also found a friend.

    Maggie has found a friend named Potsticker and _Danvers, will we have to remind your sister not to eat him?_ Because he is _tiny_.

    Like Maggie, Alex doesn’t say aloud.

    They kept Alex’s bed. She’d like to sleep in it.

    Maggie found a teacup… something. Some kind of weird mix Alex is pretty sure comes from a combination of a tiny genetic disaster of modification and a big angry cop dog in heat. It’s ugly. He tries to bite Alex when she reaches out, and he cuddles back into Maggie like he’s already coming home with them.

    Hell no.

    Daisy is old and needs a home.

    Potsticker might be an alien, and Alex and Maggie both have enough of that in their lives, thank you very much. If Maggie wants potstickers, she can fight Kara for them.

    But Maggie is smiling. Maggie is Detective Dimples-ing. The Dimples™ are out in full effect as Maggie tells Alex, the love of her life, that she sent a picture to Kara and of course Kara’s already in love with the anklebiter, she’s already volunteered to puppysit while they buy supplies and visit the vet.

    That is when Agent Alex Danvers finally discovers that her girlfriend, Detective Maggie Sawyer, is absolutely _the_ Little Shit™.

    That is also the story of how Alex and Maggie brought home two dogs and Alex lost her favorite jacket to a dog like being from Trappist-6 named after her equally alien sister’s favorite food.

    Because Maggie Sawyer is a Little Shit™.


	2. Vasquez

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vasquez notices their big gay crush is acting weird. They want to know why.

##  **Vasquez**

    There are two types of agents at the DEO: people who are terrified of Alex Danvers and people who are new.

    Alex Danvers doesn’t make friends. She’s brilliant, gorgeous, and will beat a man to death with her bare hands.

    She’s exactly Vasquez’s type, to be perfectly honest.

    Except for the whole closet thing.

    Vasquez has lost money exactly twice in the office betting pool. Once when they bet that Alex knew she was gay ( _She lost a LOT of money on that one_ ) and once when they bet that Danvers and Little Lane would bone. Pam from HR had to send out several memos against the pool. She had also put down money on Alex living in Narnia and Lane being more likely to arrest Danvers than seduce her in the storage closet.

    Vasquez now waits for Pam to place her bets before they place theirs. It’s just smart business.

    When Detective Maggie Sawyer hit the scene, things got _weird_. Agent Danvers smiles at Kara. Agent Danvers smiles at Supergirl. She smiles at them because they are the same person, _which is frankly weird enough because Kara is a Disney Princess and Supergirl has R-rated lesbian fan art in her honor_ _and that is something Vas is **never** sharing with the scarier Danvers_.

    Alex Danvers has an MD and a PhD and will take on an entire rookie class because some new asshole insisted on getting the door for her so he can look down her polo.

    Vas knows this. They think it’s hot.

    Alex Danvers does not smile into the void while sighing.

    Alex Danvers does not _giggle_.

    The first time Vasquez sees this mythical detective, Danvers has patched her up after rescuing her from a hostage situation. Vasquez is a little jealous, they’ll willingly admit to having similar fantasies. Just not to Kara. They don’t want to be thrown into space. Agent Danvers can be quite authoritative. Vas did join the army, after all.

    The detective is hot. And tiny. Slightly taller than Lane. But much more obvious about the lady lovin’. Vas overheard that comment about not leaving a lady waiting.

    That smirk though. That’s when Vas began to think that, well, Maggie Sawyer might be a Little Shit™.

    Vasquez had noticed over the past few years that Alex Danvers noticed _everything_ about Kara. Even when people were flirting with Kara, and the alien _who could hear heartbeats and see sweat at the microscopic level_ didn’t notice. Kara did not do the same for Alex, because Alex wouldn’t let her. When the new agents flirted with her little sister, Vas could almost see the _Kill Bill sirens_ going off in Danvers’ head. The reason that Kara didn’t do the same is because a) Kara herself is an oblivious ball of fluff and sunshine and b) Alex herself didn’t notice.

    Agent Alex Danvers could scope a room in seconds, tagging every threat and every exit with absolute confidence.

    Agent Alex Danvers is _shit_ at flirting and being flirted with.

    Vas would know. They had tried.

    But Agent Alex Danvers, untouchable goddess of the DEO who occasionally even scared their Martian boss, she noticed _Maggie Sawyer_ flirting.

    She just… didn’t recognize it as flirting.

    Because she was busy having lunch dates with Aslan and coffee with Tumnus.

    _Tumnus is totally Schott_.

    Because speaking of closets.

    Anyway. Vas had the pleasure of being nearby when Danvers spoke of wanting to cheer up Maggie and not understanding why anyone would break up with Maggie and how bad Maggie was at pool. Which, you know, Vas had played pool with Danvers once when they ran into each other at a bar after a particularly tough mission. Vasquez lost a lot of money that night too, but it wasn’t because they were bad at pool. _Alex Danvers on an adrenaline high in tight jeans and a sweater that dips open when she leans over a pool table is just really distracting okay?_

_But really how had Danvers read **any** of those interactions with Sawyer as heterosexual??_

    Things got weird again. Terrifyingly happy Agent Danvers was replaced by an even surlier version of the original. Even Vasquez avoided her. Sparring with Agent Danvers was fun for a multitude of reasons but they had no interest in getting their ass kicked for assuming they were friends and Alex would talk to them.

Nope.

Supergirl is bulletproof, Agent Vasquez is not.

The next time Vas sees the hot cop, Supergirl is rushing her through the balcony and straight to the Medbay.

Straight to Agent Danvers.

The detective is unconscious and the Danvers’ are a little panicked. Vas relaxes when they see Alex’s shoulders drop in relief, but they totally have an excuse to be in the bay. They offered to translate Danvers’ handwriting into something digital ( _Vas fully believes “horrible handwriting” is a required course in med school_ ) and just so happened to need the computer in that specific room to do so.

Because Agent Alex Danvers can look after herself, but Agent Alex Danvers is not particularly good at it.

Vasquez relies on, oh, all of their training not to fall off the stool when Danvers thanks Maggie for helping her realize she’s gay.

 _Holy shit how did I miss that_ and _Halleluyah by the grace of god no straight woman owns that many leather jackets_ may have been thoughts. Maybe.

So that explains the mood swings of Agent Badass.

But who the fuck answers that with “Anytime, Danvers,” really?

    Vas then spends several weeks at the desert base, which is great because Lucy Lane is also a gorgeous distraction from very tedious work _no matter how imperative to world security_ and is thrilled to catch up on the gossip from the city base. Major Lucy Lane is entirely too invested in the lovelife of Hardass Danvers and _aren’t we all_.

    Vasquez comes back just in time to be trapped at the office with two murderous White Martians, a White Martian who keeps trying to sacrifice herself, her Green Martian boss, Supergirl, Agent Danvers ( _who was supposed to be off_? _)_ , Tumnus, and some jackhole newbie who keeps trying to shoot the local lesbians.

    Blah blah blah another day at the office _holy shit I hope Tumnus never goes evil genius_ they gather for the debrief and out of nowhere Danvers stops.

    “Barenaked ladies? I gotta call Maggie.”

    Which is hilarious for so many reasons, the most obvious of which is _no one_ expected that particular sentence to come out of Agent “I will kill you with a paperclip” Danvers’ mouth.

    A quick google told Vas that there had been a concert before the aliens attacked.

    Vasquez learned two things:

 

  1. Alex Danvers absolutely has a type
  2. That type requires being a tiny brunette Little Shit™



    Alex Danvers and Maggie Sawyer had plans to see The Barenaked Ladies live.

    Maggie Sawyer got tickets for her babygay girlfriend to see barenaked ladies.

    Live.

    And probably the tee-shirt too.

    Vasquez has a giant crush on Agent Danvers, but Danvers totally has a type.

    Maggie Sawyer is a Little Shit™.

    And Vas is happy for her.


	3. James

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Being a talented photographer is going to get him killed and it's all Maggie's fault.

##  **James**

 

James Olsen was very surprised when Alex introduced the new “man” in her life. In hindsight, he probably shouldn’t have been. He moved to National City, met his best friend’s cousin, and realized Kara talked about Alex  _ a lot _ . Even more than she talked about Cat Grant. But she never mentioned anyone in Alex’s life, even after he started showing up at the DEO. 

Well, except for Maxwell Lord and how much of an ass he was. And that’s really the only mention of men Alex ever made directly either. And James maybe realizes that his entire thought process on the matter is entirely too heteronormative to have assumed that Alex would introduce a him to the superfriends when there had been next to no information ever disclosed about Alex’s preferences ( _ other than “not Asswell Lord” _ ). 

Although he agreed with Winn. No way Alex dates someone who doesn’t own a gun. Girl is way too attached to her space blaster and rocket launchers.

James thinks Maggie is awesome in general, but she is  _ amazing _ for Alex. He isn’t as scared of the super agent as Winn is, but he is well aware that his ass is grass if she’s angry enough, no matter what he can bench press. Alex Danvers would bench press Kara’s pod  _ out of spite _ if someone said she couldn’t. 

Maggie though, Maggie takes the edge off. The jagged pieces that Alex doesn’t talk about, because he knows she thinks of him as Kara’s friend most of the time, Maggie slides herself right into the cracks. Alex has so much depth to her that she’s always been one of his favorite non-work subjects, emotions written on her face but the depth of them in her eyes, in her body language. James could fill an entire exhibit with the elder Danvers and the love she has for her sister, the fear, the worry, the pride… ( _ she won’t ever consent to that _ ). 

But god, Alex with Maggie? That is a sight to behold. As much as Alex is on her own, she’s just so much  _ more _ when Maggie is around. She smiles, she giggles ( _ okay, so that one scared James a little the first time he heard it _ ), she  _ bounces _ , she no longer looks like the world is crushing her. Maggie is both Alex’s superglue and her safety net, and dear god it is beautiful to witness. Maggie joins his list of favorite people to photograph, and  _ Alex&Maggie _ become number one. 

Maggie is great. She complains when he picks her up to hug her, but gets over it fairly quickly. Really though, he already has to bend practically in half to hug Alex, it’s only practical to save his back by hoisting Maggie up. She is less accommodating when he starts setting her on counters, but you know what, he wants to look into her eyes when they’re being serious, and looking down at that angle gets painful. Eventually they have enough serious talks about Guardian, about the Danvers, about not being white in National City, eventually she starts hopping up on the counter herself. 

He does not expect it when she starts hopping onto his back. 

He is less surprised to find her dumping something over his head when she does it. 

James could have lived without that. 

He liked that shirt. 

Alex thought it was hilarious. 

Of course she did. 

Eventually though, piggybackMaggie becomes a thing.  _ She likes being taller than Alex _ , he thinks.  _ And she can finally be eye to eye with Little Danvers _ . He will never say these thoughts aloud. 

He’s not afraid of Alex, most of the time.

But short people?  _ Actually _ short people? They have a grudge against the world and James is smarter than that.

Maggie becomes one of his favorite people pretty quickly. She’s just so good for Alex, who deserves everything good in the world, and Kara is so happy that Alex finally has someone to lean on, and then Maggie does everything she can when Winn is framed by Lyra… She easily becomes one of his best friends. A Super Friend, if you will. 

Sometimes though. 

Sometimes Maggie went out of her way to be a pain. 

James likes to think of Maggie as the little sister he never had. Winn is his little brother, his bro. Kara is his almost something, and it’s awkward, but she’s also an amazing friend. Alex is, whether she knows it or not, his favorite not-sister. J’onn’s his grumpy uncle and Lucy is the weird on-again-off-again ex that he’d do anything for. It’s a family he wasn’t expecting when he moved to National City. 

It’s a family he’d do anything for. 

He’s an award winning photojournalist. So having friends and family ask for photography help is really common. 

When Maggie wants to put something together for Alex for their anniversary, James is thrilled to help. He offers up his collection of candids of Maggie, of Alex, of Alex&Maggie, and of the Super Friends. 

That isn’t what Maggie had in mind, but she steals half of them anyway. 

James has taken dangerous shots in the middle of war. He’s taken beautiful landscapes on  vacation. He’s shot the weird shit that Kara and Winn get up too when they’ve had too much sugar and not enough sleep and you can never have too much blackmail. He’s even got video of that  _ one _ time Kara let Alex get wasted just so she could con her big sister into participating in karaoke ( _ Alex will never find out he has that video, but he’ll probably show it to Maggie. Girl can sing _ ). 

Photographing his almost-sister in lingerie and artfully staged sheets (and those ones with Maggie on her Triumph and nothing but the helmet she’s holding) is probably one of the most awkward experiences of his life. 

It’s so weird. 

Intellectually he knows that it should be easy. Maggie is a beautiful woman and James knows he is a beautiful specimen of manhood, but there is no attraction on either side. Should be easy, right? 

It’s so weird. 

It’s Maggie. 

And it’s  _ for _ Alex. 

His pseudo-sisters.

One of whom he has now seen naked.

Alex will probably try to kill him for that. 

He makes Maggie promise not to let Alex kill him before he agrees to the shoot. 

It’s still really weird. 

So yeah, sometimes Maggie is a pain. 

James thinks it’s just normal sibling things that make her such a pain.

He didn’t realize Maggie was such a Little Shit™.

James expected those photos would wind up in a private album, or maybe a few of the tamer ones would be framed for their room or something. Something sweet, something private, something very much Alex&Maggie. 

In hindsight, he really should have known better. 

He is there that day when Maggie “gave” Alex the photos. They were all at the DEO, working on solving the disaster of the week. Alex hadn’t slept in probably two days or more, not even Kara’s puppy face or Maggie’s cajoling could get her to leave. It was their anniversary, but while Alex was apologetic, she wasn’t willing to leave until the city was safe ( _ until Kara was safe _ ). 

So Maggie came in to spend her downtime with the Super Friends and try to lend another pair of eyes. 

Sure. 

Alex has been pacing the command center for a while, sometimes reading the notes in her hands, sometimes consulting with Winn or Vasquez. Sometimes she’d acknowledge her girlfriend was present, or Kara. James has been there for three hours and he might have gotten a nod when he walked in, but Alex had been talking herself through something so it may have been to herself. 

He didn’t know how Maggie did it, Alex had never put the papers down.

Alex flips a page in her notes.

Alex visibly short circuits.

    Alex falls off the platform. 

    Maggie loses it.

    James caught a glimpse of what caused the mayhem. He recognizes the lighting and the motorcycle. 

    James Olsen has stood in the line of fire to get the perfect shot.

    James Olsen makes a different choice this time.

    He books it. 

    “OLSEN!” is shouted behind him.

    James decides then and there that Maggie Sawyer is a Little Shit™.

    He kind of loves her for it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am a font of responsibility avoidance this weekend. 
> 
> Next up: probably Pam from HR, because Pam sees all. 
> 
> Want more hot mess? Visit me on tumbler @bathtimefunduck and read my tags. Drop a line if you're feeling sassy.
> 
> Want to see why I have a compulsion to write absolute fluff? Go to @onefootone's tumblr and understand that this is my coping mechanism.


	4. Pam from HR

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pam plays favorites and still gets her revenge,

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since onefootone FINALLY WOKE UP from their transpacific coma, you guys are getting spoiled.

##  **Pam**

    Pam is, unfortunately, the head of human resources for a black ops agency. A black ops agency that dealt with _aliens_ no less. She’s still not sure how she got roped into this insanity in the first place by the real Henshaw (oh the violations she wrote _him_ up for), let alone how she stuck around for her new boss, the martian, and even transferred to the city base when J’onn asked.

    Well, that’s not entirely true.

    Almost all of her favorite people transferred to the city base, and though it was easier to deal with potential legal ramifications with Director Lane on site, she wasn’t about to leave the care and maintenance of Alex Danvers to some random newbie. Danvers would be fired in a week by some hotshot intent to follow the rules without recognizing the consequences of doing so.

    Alex Danvers was the biggest pain in her ass in her entire career ( _and she’s including the time she had to deal with her boss not being her boss, being outed as an alien, being arrested, being reinstated as her boss, and maintaining the legal identity of a man that is, apparently, not even dead_ ). Alex Danvers respects the rules and the regulations until they get in her way, and then she ignores them to get the job done. Agent Danvers is very much the sort of apologize but kill you with puppy eyes while filling out the requisite paperwork later rather than ask permission type.

    Pam is the head of HR and as such cannot have favorites.

    Pam as a human being absolutely has favorites.

    Alex Danvers has been written up no less than 32 times for assaulting a trainee or fellow agent. Each and every time, the assaulted agent had either cornered another agent for nefarious purposes, betrayed the organization, or hit on her little sister. Alex Danvers is the reason for the points policy: agents whose actions act against the rules in reasonable defense of another agent or civilian can earn points for good behavior, and much like points on a license, they can determine your level of punishment up to suspension and firing. There are also no less than 67 incident reports _specifically_ for events involving Agent Danvers or her sister.

    Luckily for Alex Danvers, saving the world is worth quite a few points.

    HR for an organization like the DEO comes with all sorts of challenges. Alex Danvers is an outlier and should not be included. Most of the problems are standard, such as sexism ( _those military boys were the_ **_worst_ ** ), gossip, and the betting pool.

    Pam was required to send out memos about the betting pool.

    Pam also realized the agents often needed an easy way to release stress, and in general the betting was harmless fun. The DEO’s bookies learned the hard way not to make it harmful. Supergirl is quite intimidating when she needs to be, and she is also one of human-Pam’s favorites.

    The most popular topic of betting is, unsurprisingly, Agent Danvers.

    If the woman would just make a few friends, she probably wouldn’t be, but when Danvers came on board she drew a strict line between herself and everyone else, and has only recently begun to smudge those lines.

    J’onn was one. Lucy was another.

    Pam was unsurprised to see the bets about Danvers’ sexuality. She definitely should have nipped that one in the bud, but the bets were kept out of earshot of even Supergirl’s hearing, so she let it stand. It was pretty entertaining to see agents of all genders hitting on Alex relentlessly, and watching their disappointment when they got no reaction made her day. Alex Danvers is the best agent the DEO has ever produced, but Alex Danvers cares about one thing, and that is Kara. The other agents weren’t anywhere near her radar. That woman didn’t even notice, and it was _hilarious_.

    Lucy Lane came close. Alex _almost_ noticed the constant flirting, which, as Lane was the hottest person in the DEO who didn’t share the last name Danvers, Pam would _fucking hope so_. God that girl was hopeless.

    Schott came on, and their weird sibling relationship was a whole new round of betting, most of which Pam shut down immediately. Anyone with sense in their head could see Danvers saw him as a brother, _jesus christ some of these agents took a few too many hits to the head_ , especially after watching the glee on Danvers’ face when she could torture a hungover Schott.

    And then.

    Then came a request for clearance for Detective Maggie Sawyer.

    Straight from Agent Danvers.

    Detective Maggie Sawyer had been mentioned in the incident reports regarding the Infernian and the President, and had been granted temporary clearance for the medbay.

    But Danvers was requesting level three clearance.

    Permission to come and go without an escort. Permission to enter the labs. Permission to liaise with known DEO agents. Permission to enter the command center.

    Agent Alex Danvers did not make friends, that was part of why she was both a legend and the nightmare you scared baby agents with.

    Alex Danvers has directly requested clearance all of once.

    This once.

    Pam was curious. She granted level two clearance, under the premise of a deeper background check.

    Pam has favorites, and Pam likes to take care of them. Especially Agent Danvers, who pulls so much overtime she may as well be three different people.

    If this detective is a good egg, maybe she could be an asset in getting Danvers the fuck out of this office.

    If she’s not, well, Pam is the head of HR for a secret government agency.

    Maggie comes around.

    Alex Danvers is a highly trained government agent.

    Agent Danvers is not accustomed to hiding her absolute glow.

    It’s a beautiful sight, really, almost as beautiful as the love between the Danvers sisters. It really was something to see Alex happy.

    A happy Alex has the benefit of terrifying the other agents, which is always a good time in Pam’s books.

    Detective Maggie Sawyer gave Danvers a reason to leave work on time and take weekends off. Danvers even called in one morning. Danvers never calls in, her supersister has to be told to take her home ( _get that disease ridden sister of yours out of here before she winds up in medbay, Kara_ ).

    Alex Danvers has very good taste in women ( _when she opens her fucking eyes oh my god_ ).

    Pam begins to receive gift baskets every time Agent Danvers spends an afternoon in the office.

    Pam receives a gift card to the spa that time she had to come in at 3am to tell Danvers to her face _no you’re not being cleared for duty you overgrown child I don’t care how many of the doctors you’ve scared into clearing you_.

   That time Pam had to create _new_ paperwork because Danvers started a bar fight, stole a plane, and blew up a warehouse belonging to Lord Tech, all within 13 hours? That time Pam was treated to a dish of homemade empanadas _and they were amazing_.

    Someone must have let Sawyer in on the betting pool, which, shouldn’t have surprised Pam, she’d heard Alex and Maggie betting on nearly _everything_. She was surprised the bookies trusted Sawyer not to tell Danvers about it.

    Until Pam realized Danvers was using Sawyer to place ghost bets.

    They were rigging the game, and it was seriously cutting into Pam and Vasquez’s beer money.

    Pam lost a bet on when Alex would lose it on the latest batch of recruits from the marines by _ten minutes_.

    That had never happened before.

    Ever.

    Pam reviewed the tapes leading up to the incident, as required by policy.

    Sawyer had glanced at a clock, and then whispered something in Danvers’ ear. Danvers pinked, just the slightest bit, and backed down _just long enough for Pam to lose_.

    That Little Shit™.

    There was a bottle of Stoli on her desk the next morning.

    Pam “accidentally” revoked Sawyer’s level three clearance and kicked her back to level one, where she not only needed an escort, but Danvers had to be on premises _to come get her_.

    Cheaters.

    This happened three more times.

    Until the bet about them moving in together.

    See, the problem with Sawyer and Danvers is they had both spoken about new apartments they had seen and what they loved where Pam could hear about it. Pam was tired of losing. She had also found the perfect apartment coming open at a building halfway between Sawyer’s precinct and the DEO. Unfortunately, neither of their leases would be up for another few months.

    Enter Supergirl, and her love for Pam’s baking.

 _Oops I didn’t mean to break your sink Maggie_.

 _Oops, sorry Alex, I didn’t mean to bust your stove_.

    Supergirl became so accident prone that Danvers had her come in for testing.

    That’s when Pam slipped the listing into Danvers’ things, somewhere Sawyer was sure to find it.

    That’s how Pam wins the office bet on when everyone’s favorite crime-fighting lesbians in leather moved in together.

    She and Vasquez decide to send them a housewarming present with the winnings, directed to Danvers.

    A wardrobe, to be exact, with a note that said simply “Finally.”

    The cheaters deserved it, even if they’re her favorites ( _she doesn’t have favorites_ ).

    Maggie Sawyer is a Little Shit™.

    But so is Pam from HR.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading along! And the kudos, follows, and comments--it warms my grinchy heart. 
> 
> Find me @bathtimefunduck on tumblr and check out @onefootone and their fic There's No More Everyday here on AO3 for the polar opposite of all this tooth rotting fluff.


	5. Winn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Winn loves his found family, even when they scare the crap out of him.

##  **Winn**

        Alex Danvers is terrifying. Winn Schott met Alex shortly after befriending Kara, because the two are a package deal _and it would have been really nice to have that when everything went to shit_ . Winn has been terrified of Alex Danvers from pretty much the moment they met.

        Alex does it on purpose, he’s sure.

        He’s also sure that he doesn’t care, _she’s freaking scary man_ .

        Alex Danvers is an amazing sister to Kara, really, and she’s kind of become the big sister he never really wanted, the big sister who teases and terrifies him for fun.

        The big sister who will give him shit about his dating life ( _even you date more often than I do_ and _you certainly have a type_ ) but will slide down a rope in dramatic secret agent style to save his ass.

        And alternatively threaten to kill him.

        But wax poetic about a friend he didn’t realize she was having more than friendly feelings towards ( _okay but in his defense she didn’t either_ ).

        But yell at him about Guardian.

        And give him a pep talk.

_Before leaving him alone on an Alien planet like a red shirt!!_

        And having faith that not only would he still be there, but would get the gate back open.

        Alex Danvers takes time out of her busy day to make sure he gets some training in, because _Kara and I won’t always be around to save your ass, Winn_ and all of the other baby agents are jealous that not only does Agent Badass train him personally, but she’ll hang out around him on her down time.

        Apparently getting slapped in the back of the head is an _honor_ and _oh my GOD the exmil agents have strange ideas of what affection means_ .

        Alex Danvers terrifies everyone.

        Especially Winn.

        But he’s pretty sure she does it out of love. Mostly. Also because she thinks it’s funny, and she’s a jerk like that.

        Winn was thrilled that there was someone she wanted to introduce them to ( _how did he not know? Alex doesn’t_ **_make friends_ ** _)_ even if he wasn’t expecting a tiny leather-clad detective. The gun part was totally expected because Winn is pretty sure Alex thinks shooting stuff is a turn on. She made him rig up a charger for her moon gun. _And he succeeded because he’s awesome_ and she _hugged_ him and _dear LORD that was terrifying_ .

        Alex means a lot to him.

        Even if he’ll never admit it out loud. _She won’t either_ .

        So he gave Maggie a shovel talk. Sort of.

        He stuttered a lot. She pretended to take him seriously. _He might have believed it if there hadn’t been dimples_ . _But she had a gun and why did he think coming to the precinct was a good idea?_

        Oh right. _Alex wasn’t at the precinct_ .

        Maggie is pretty awesome. Mostly because someone can finally tease Alex and actually get away with it and not be named Kara. And it was awesome ( _and scary_ ) to watch Alex “I can kill you with one finger” Danvers _melt_ when her girlfriend smiled at her.

        Alex Danvers is a burnt marshmallow, crusty and sour and crunchy on the outside and melty and gooey on the inside.

_And Winn will literally_ **_never_ ** _tell her that his life_ **_depends_ ** _on it_ .

        Maggie though.

        Maggie is an uncooked s’more.

        Brittle graham cracker outside. Rock hard chocolate and a slightly stale marshmallow core. But once you add the fire, once you add _Alex_ , Maggie melts into an equally gooey sweet mess. Watching the two of them together probably gave Winn more calories than Kara’s game night food ever could. Like, relationship goals.

        He thought he could find that with Lyra.

        He thought he had.

        The sex was _ah-mazing_ . Like, _really_ good.

        Before Lyra, Winn had never thought of himself as particularly flexible.

        He had incentive now.

        Because _WOW_ .

        And then there was the whole framing him for stealing one of a kind world famous art. And he probably should have known better than to break into a museum after hours, and Alex read him the riot act as soon as they were out of the precinct. But Maggie hadn’t hauled him away in handcuffs, she called him, asked him to explain, showed Winn the evidence against him, and tried to help. If Alex is the terrifying protective big sister, Maggie is the reasonable but still protective middle sister. Like, if Lyra wasn’t trying to send him to prison, he’d probably go to Maggie for birthday gift ideas, because Alex would just tease him and Kara is the worst secret keeper in the world.

        They were family, the girls and James. And now Maggie. It was nice. Winn had never expected to find that after everything with his Dad. As much shit as Alex gives him, he knows she’ll be there the moment he’s in trouble. Kara just a smidge faster. James in a manner befitting the sheer bulk of masculinity that he is, would be slower than Alex just because (and Winn is convinced of this) Alex has magical big sister “my sibling has done something stupid” senses honed by years of living with an alien.

        And now he had Maggie.

        Because _damn_ if Alex ever screws up he would… he would totally throw Kara in her path because Maggie’s a lesbian and he’s not her type _and he’s still not entirely sure he believed Kara’s declaration that she wasn’t into women and he’s beginning to think she’s questioning that too_ . Anyway, yeah, no Winn would do anything to keep Maggie.

        Even after she beat him at Mario Kart.

        And Call of Duty.

        Winn considered disowning her when he found out she was the online match that kept _destroying him_ at Overwatch.

        He complained to her for weeks and she never said > _anything_ .

        He found out when Alex hosted game night ( _so domestic_ ) and he logged onto Alex’s system. Maggie looked so damn proud of herself.

        And then.

        Then the Lyra thing, and Maggie got the charges dropped for him _and Lyra_ .

        And then.

        Then he _compliments her_ . Winn’s smart enough not to hug her, because that look Alex is shooting him is _scary_ and he’s kind of hoping his underwear is still clean because Alex’s default setting is _threatening_ and she’s being extra disapproving right now.

        And then Maggie threatens to send him to lock up.

_For funsies._

        He makes his exit, quickly, because he’s realized that Alex has found her perfect match.

        Maggie Sawyer is a Little Shit™.

        And she’s Alex’s soulmate.

        And that thought terrifies Winslow Schott Junior _because now there’s_ **_two of them_ ** .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come say hi on tumblr @bathtimefunduck and go bother @onefootone too.


	6. J'onn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> J'onn needs to re-evaluate his adoption policies.

#  **J’onn**

    J’onn J’onzz has spent several centuries on Earth, exploring the many cultures of humanity through the ages. He kept himself apart until Jeremiah Danvers, however, and his promise to protect the girls who would become his Earth Daughters forced him into more crowded populations than he generally preferred.

    J’onn J’onzz is a Green Martian, and with that comes psychic abilities. As a rule, he generally avoided “listening in” as it were, preferring to wait for people to come to him. Some people, however, thought very _very loudly_.

    His favorite Earth Daughter, thankfully, was often muttering equations or ranting about the newest rookie class. Sometimes she’d be yelling in her head about his Kryptonian Earth Daughter, and last year she had some pretty creative thoughts on what to do with Maxwell Lord. For all the loud thinkers in the DEO, he rarely had to worry about seeing things he shouldn’t in his daughter’s mind, especially after they left Lane behind at the desert base.

    Until the Infernian.

    It was nice that his staff regularly forgot about his abilities. Less so when they forgot their abilities while in _lust_.

    It was rather startling when Alex began to think about the cop she met at the airport, not because he had a problem with it, but because J’onn had never heard her thoughts take that turn before. Surface thoughts about the littlest Lane, sure, _she’s pretty_ , Alex admired her grit, _Kara was right she does smell nice_. But when Sawyer entered Alex’s life, well, J’onn would say Alex thought of nothing but rainbows, but his favorite daughter could be pretty damn color blind sometimes.

    Alex could make it hard for a psychic father not to go on a murder spree sometimes. As the director of a black ops agency, J’onn would be lying if he claimed not to have thought about locking Maggie away for a few days after turning his child down. As the women rebuilt their friendship though, J’onn could see that the feelings were real, that they were there, that Maggie was afraid and just needed time. And then he understood. Because his favorite child had no sense of self-preservation, would throw herself headfirst into danger if the goal was in sight, and Sawyer was her goal.

    And that was the one spot of concern. Sawyer was very much unlike most of the humans he ran across-- Sawyer kept her thoughts locked up almost as tight as a Kryptonian’s, J’onn had to rely on the looks she gave Alex when Alex was busy, the smiles when no one paid her attention. Sawyer kept a tight reign, which he certainly grew to appreciate as they grew closer. Kara might walk into things she never wanted to see, but she had the option of ignoring the warning signs, images didn’t shout their way into _her_ head.

    He was happy for Alex, truly, even if he did occasionally want to murder the woman defiling his daughter in new and creative ways. And “bleach his brain,” as Kara says.

    It isn’t long before Maggie is a staple at the office, at the bar, and at game night. Alex becomes one of a pair, and it reminds him of home, the way they move around each other, as if they share a mind and memories. He makes it a point to get to know his daughter’s mate over beers and case files, as gruff with her as he is his girls, but equally as supportive. He relies on her to get Alex out of the office at a decent time, to get her to eat, to rest, and all of the above when Kara is hurt.

    It’s one of those times that Maggie approaches him with a request for one of the sun grenades and a theory about jumpstarting Kara. Synthetic Kryptonite weapons are popping up everywhere thanks to CADMUS and Kara isn’t always fast enough to get out of the way, especially when civilians are at risk. Maggie was worried, and sometimes resources were spread thin, and _I was joking when I bet Danvers for a flash grenade but the Sun Bomb thing could make a difference between a lucky hit and a funeral, J’onn._

    And then she looks at him, wide-eyed and earnest, and she _smiles_.

    Seeing those Dimples™ in Alex’s memories is a completely different experience than in real life, he’ll later argue with Pam. Maggie gets her grenade, and they both swear Alex will never find out.

    Until she does, when Kara is hit and hit badly while supporting the NCPD. Alex and her team are in the chopper, rushing from another scene, when the world lights up, bright and temporarily blinding, but it’s enough to get Kara up and out of danger. Maggie is cackling in relief as she draws a stumbling Kara out of the line of fire, the damage from the K-bullets that tore through the hero already beginning to heal. J’onn takes Kara into his arms and heads for the DEO, barely registering Alex’s shouting in his ear piece _Thank god thank you Maggie you saved Kara oh my god wait where the hell did you get a Holy Hand Grenade??!!_

    Pam has the “adoption” papers in his box before Kara’s on her sunbed. The papers name him next of kin, name them his, and adjust his life insurance and medical proxy accordingly. He’s filled them out for all of his idiot human and Kryptonian Earth kids. He adjusts some of the wording before Alex storms in, giving all three Danvers kids an equal share. He has a feeling about this one.

    “You gave her a grenade.”

    “It saved your sister’s life.”

    “ _But you gave her a grenade_.”

    “There are many things in this life a man can resist, Alex,” He pauses, “But among the hardest are your sister’s pout, your puppy eyes, and your girlfriend’s _god damn dimples_.”

    There isn’t much Alex can say to that.

    Maggie Sawyer had proved herself to him. She was willing to support Alex against the world ( _ride or die_ echoed in Alex’s mind), she ran through the DEO in a blind panic if Alex or Kara was hurt, he knew she attended sister nights and game nights and treated his eldest daughter wonderfully.

    A little too wonderfully, as he and Kara unfortunately found out.

    All supply closets now required a key and permission from Pam, thanks to Lane and Vasquez getting competitive with Alex and Maggie. Kara didn’t even get a break on those escapades, her powers were useless among the lead-lined walls.

    No one mentions when he gives Maggie a new grenade _just in case_.

    He doesn’t ask when Kara thanks Maggie for saving her life with a bonsai tree, declaring _I have traveled far and wide and offer thee a shrubbery_. He definitely does not ask when Alex and James debate the carrying capacity of laden versus unladen swallows. His children are strange, even among earthlings, and he loves them anyway.

    J’onn does wonder why Maggie suddenly shouts “It’s the Legendary Black Beast of Aaaaarrrrrrggghhh!” as she hurls the grenade at an unsuspecting and very hungover Agent Schott, who startles out of his chair and _actually cries_ at the sudden indoor solar flare. The other agents duck for cover and bring arms to bear, but while the sight of Agent Danvers _cackling_ is disturbing, it also means there’s no active threat. _She really is perfect for Alex._

    Maggie looks at J’onn with a wide smile and innocent eyes, the Dimples™ almost tripled for him , “He was looking a little rough, spending too much time indoors.”

    J’onn ignores Schott and stares hard at his newest daughter, who is backing up to his other trouble makers. They make no move to help her or back up her story..

    “Vitamin D is good for hangovers?”

    J’onn sighs, well aware that Vasquez and Pam are collecting on yet another bet today. He should have known better, there isn’t one of his children that isn’t a giant pain in his shapeshifting ass.

    Maggie Sawyer is a Little Shit™.

    And he's already signed the adoption papers.


	7. Adrian

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone loves Alex Danvers, but Maggie's not alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, uh, @queergirlwriting was nice enough to let me borrow Adrian, since we've only been introduced to Maggie's ex. I thought, with all this love for Alex, we needed to see someone on Maggie's side. Girl needs her love too, you know? Hopefully I've done him and their relationship justice.

##  **Adrian**

Adrian clocked Officer Maggie Sawyer as a Little Shit™ from about ten minutes after she rescued him from bad T and worse decisions that could have gotten a little brown kid killed. Adrian came from a great family, really, his parents were amazing and supportive and so much that other kids didn’t get, but transitioning was expensive, transitioning was hard in a heteronormative society, and by the time Maggie found him he was already out of sorts because no insurance didn’t just mean no T, it meant no puberty inhibitors, if he could even find a doctor supportive of trans health. Maybe it was the smirk on her lips after he was knocked on his ass or those big understanding eyes or that teasing smile, but Officer Sawyer was  _ safe _ and that wasn’t something every brown kid could count on, straight or not. As amazing as Maggie was when they met, she was still a Little Shit™ because she took him out for ice cream after the clinic and totally popped the bottom of the cone to smear Adrian’s face in chocolate.

Adrian had a family. But Maggie joined it, the queer big sister he needed at the most important time of his life. She’d meet him after school to talk about the Queer Alliance club, take him to lunch on the weekends, basically be the big sister he didn’t have. They talked girls, Adrian’s crushes and Maggie’s.

Maggie played jokes and she teased, but she didn’t relax around many people. Adrian noticed her girlfriends weren’t often among those people. 

For such an Established Gay™, Adrian’s adoptive big sister had shit taste in women. 

    Until Agent Hot Ass. 

_     Oh my God, _ Adrian could not believe how much Maggie talked about the Fed who stole her crime scene. In hindsight, that probably didn’t help matters with the deteriorating state of Mag’s relationship with what’s-her-name,  _ but the blonde wasn’t good enough for his big sis anyway. _ She talked about her over the empanadas he cooked to celebrate her not dying after being  _ kidnapped _ . Her big eyes glittered while talking about how much fun she had being tied up in the warehouse,  _ filed under things Adrian never wanted to know about his sister _ , and being rescued by Supergirl  _ and that really annoying Fed who’s also a doctor--Did you know she’s really smart, Ade? She’s like a genius or something, because the med staff at her top secret James Bond base didn’t say a word when she patched me up _ . 

_     She’s really good at pool, Ade _ . Which was weird, because he’d played pool with Maggie, she was great. And then Maggie explained,  _ I mean, I’m letting her win, you know, the Feds get their feelings hurt so easily _ . Right. 

    Maggie had some bad nights sometimes. Sometimes he’d get a call from the bartender at Maggie’s favorite bar, and he’d swing by to give her a lift home in her cruiser ( _ not that anyone on the force knew that _ ) or just grab an uber if she brought her bike. Megan, she was nice. Megan slipped him photos of his favorite cop and her new bff “ _ just grabbin’ beers, kid _ .”

    Then things got weird, and Maggie got quiet about  _ Danvers _ . She didn’t talk about her as much. She looked sad when she did. Then Maggie got drunk, and Maggie talks so much more about herself when she’s drunk.  _ Alex came out to me, Ade. First. Because of me. _ And Adrian smiled. But then Maggie confessed  _ I can’t do that to her, I can’t destroy her, I destroy everything good _ .

    Okay first of all,  _ bullshit _ ,  _ you didn’t destroy  _ **_me_ ** _ , Mags, you helped me be a better me _ . Second of all, Adrian couldn’t exactly blame this fed for a sudden gay awakening because, and he could say this as an objective straight man, Maggie was  _ hot _ .  _ Of course _ Maggie made her question her sexuality, Maggie was a cop who drove a motorcycle, wore leather jackets, and carried handcuffs  _ hellooooo _ . 

    Maggie was being stupid. Clearly she had feelings for this woman. 

    Those photos Megan took? Adrian may have printed off extras and hung around Maggie’s apartment. On the cereal box Maggie had to jump to reach. Behind her toothpaste in her medicine cabinet. He even slipped one into “that” drawer in her nightstand (without looking, thank you, he did not need to be scarred for life). Maggie Sawyer  _ is _ a Little Shit™, but Adrian took notes any time he got the chance. 

    Maggie yelled at him for it.

    Adrian knows damn well that Maggie put one of those photos in her wallet. 

    She’ll never admit it, but that’s fine.

    A few days later she and the fed were friends again. She wasn’t as talkative as before, but she wasn’t quiet like she had been after Danvers kissed her. 

    And then she called him to tell him she got shot, but not to worry.  _ What the fuck, Maggie?? _ Adrian was all set to come over and check for himself that she wasn’t dead but  _ Actually, Ade, I’m not going to be home, I have to go talk to someone _ . 

    Adrian had a feeling he knew who she was going to see.

    Judging by the mile-wide smile that met him for brunch, The Dimples™ seemingly multiplying, he was right and it went well. 

    Seeing Maggie begin to open up, and so quickly, was awesome. It gave him hope, because  _ be real, Maggie, you’re a damn cactus _ , and meeting  _ Alex _ meant meeting a dorky, unsure, but totally beautiful woman who had heart eyes for his queer mom. It was great!

    Even better? 

    Watching Maggie screw with the Alex and her friends. 

    Hiding the last box of potstickers in a container of vegan yogurt (Kara), that time she tricked Alex into trying that  _ one _ absolutely gross flavor of vegan ice cream so that her ice cream would remain untouched on sister nights, and watching Maggie crush that nerdy dude in video games online week after week while giving him “tips” over the phone was Adrian’s absolute favorite. 

    These two were golden. Like, relationship goals. 

    Which is why, when he heard about that photo shoot James did, and what happened with Alex, Adrian  _ may _ have talked to James about getting some  _ perfectly work safe thank you _ candids of the couple to make two collages. One for each of them, complete with glitter hearts and a couple sets of googly eyes ( _ Kara was REALLY helpful _ ). Those collages  _ may _ or  _ may not  _ have found their way to Maggie’s desk at the precinct and Alex’s lab. 

    Because Adrian was happy for them. 

    And because Maggie Sawyer is a Little Shit™.

    And Adrian is her favorite. ( _ After Alex _ ).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Got someone you want to see here? Or something you want to see in the other stuff up here? Seriously, drop something by my box @bathtimefunduck.


	8. Eliza

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eliza has made a lot of mistakes when it comes to Alex. Failing to support her, again, was not going to be one of them.

#  **Eliza**

Alex was five the first time she nearly gave Eliza a heart attack. One moment she was there beside the cart, the next she was gone, lost somewhere between the grapes and the potatoes. How one small child could evade a store full of employees and her frantic mother, she’d never know. But the reunion, when it came, was full of tearful apologies on both sides. 

The first time Alex won a surfing competition, she was twelve, and so, so excited. While Eliza would have preferred safer pursuits, surfing was something Alex could share with Jeremiah, something they could bond over. So when she came running up to her mother, still dripping saltwater, so excited and proud, Eliza was thrilled for her. 

She’s not sure when she stopped sharing the blame when things went wrong. Or when she stopped telling Alex how proud she was of her. 

After Jeremiah, certainly.

It was the girls, after all, that were the reason the DEO found them, the reason that he was on that damned mission in the first place. If they hadn’t gone flying, if Alex had been more responsible--

_ No, Eliza _ . Thoughts like that were what started the canyon between you and your daughter. 

Perhaps if they had paid more attention to Kara’s struggles with fitting in. Worked less, talked more. Maybe Alex wouldn’t have felt the need to risk it, wouldn’t have taken it upon herself to cheer Kara up by breaking the rules. Maybe they could have found a way for Kara to practice that wouldn’t have endangered them all.

And she never should have laid parenting an alien at the feet of her fifteen year old child. Eliza wishes she hadn’t been so selfish as to fall into herself when Jeremiah died, hadn’t crawled into a hole for years and left Alex to pick up the emotional labor of not just herself but her alien sister. Maybe Alex wouldn’t have struggled so much in graduate school, maybe there wouldn’t be so much tension between them, maybe…

Maybe if she’d been a better parent, she wouldn’t worry about Alex falling into a bottle every time she came to visit. 

If she’d just told Alex how much she loved her, how proud she was, no caveats and no criticisms, if she hadn’t expected her to still be parenting Kara, an adult capable of her own decisions. She just felt so far away from her girls in National City, who had each other while she had… work. Kara called her weekly, at least. Alex, maybe once a month, Alex who always cut it short when Eliza would press for more details in just the wrong way. The words would leave her mouth, sharp and biting, and while Alex made no indication on her end, Eliza could always tell when “work” was about to interrupt their call.

But god, after that disastrous Thanksgiving, after Myriad and Astra and everything that happened after Kara took on her family mantel, after she’d nearly lost both her girls time and time again, something had to change.  _ She _ had to change. 

Eliza didn’t wait for Alex to call at the end of the month. She called her daughter weekly, sometimes more if Kara mentioned something exciting about Alex’s work. Eliza made a promise to herself that she wouldn’t ask about Kara, wouldn’t discuss Kara’s decisions and how Alex should have influenced them. She asked about  _ Alex _ . What she was working on in the lab, what kind of cases she was seeing outside of Kara’s jurisdiction, whether she preferred the desert base or the city one. If she’d found a new favorite food truck to hide from Kara so she wouldn’t eat them out before Alex got any. 

It was awkward. And stilted. But, eventually, it got better.

Alex even volunteered information sometimes. Like how Winn did something to one of the machines in the lab and now it ran so much better. Or to complain that James and Winn were idiots trying to get themselves killed.

That she met a new friend.

Sawyer.

_ Detective  _ Maggie Sawyer. 

The headstrong detective who invaded Alex’s crime scene and caused her eldest to call three times in the same week. Sawyer this and Sawyer that. Eliza was thrilled, really, because her Alex? She didn’t make friends easily before Kara, and she didn’t bother after.

This Detective Sawyer was clearly someone special.

Very special, if all the times that Alex talked about her were any indication.

Because all the times that she spoke about the detective? Was pretty much  _ every  _ time. 

And then it stops. Not just the talk about Maggie, but the calls. 

They just… don’t happen. 

And Kara clearly covers for Alex, she’s busy in the lab, pulling long nights, she’ll be free soon, et cetera. 

Eliza is glad that, for all her failures as a mother, Kara and Alex found each other.

It still hurts though, going back to the silence.

But she’s trying to be better, so she doesn’t push.

She waits.

And waits.

And then Alex is calling again. She doesn’t mention Maggie as much, and when she does, it’s different. Subdued. And honestly, for the first few conversations after the blackout, Alex dodged any questions about Maggie.

It reminded her of Vicki Donahue all over again.

And some of the suspicions that Eliza had had about her eldest when she was younger, well, they may have resurfaced. But she knew better than to mention them. That, well, that would probably spark something that would set her back so far she’d be old and tired (older, more tired) before she’d even make up half of it.

No, best to let her strong-willed daughter figure things out for herself. 

And it worries her, how fast the bottle drains at the next Thanksgiving. How badly Alex tries to tell her family something before it all goes to hell with a rip in the space-time continuum. 

So maybe she nudges, a little, at the DEO. 

And Eliza makes it a point to tell her daughter that she will  _ always _ be proud of the extraordinary woman she’s becoming. All she ever wanted for her daughters was for Alex and Kara to be safe and happy. It was her fault for putting the pressure of Kara’s on Alex. She got the one, she thought, but it came at the cost of the other, and the more she comes back to National City, the more she realizes that her daughters were never safe, nor truly happy. And that has only changed recently, as they discovered more about themselves and each other. 

She finds herself both incredible proud of her girls and so very disappointed in herself. Maybe if she’d never lost Jeremiah, things would have been different. But she did, and she made terrible decisions, and there’s only the future. 

She  _ might _ have slipped past the other side of medical after hearing that Kara brought an injured detective in for treatment. Might have lingered, watching Alex, her Alex, completely relaxed while focused on stitching up her “friend.”

She might have also seen the way that friend’s eyes followed Alex even when her back was turned, the soft smiles exchanged, and she may have ducked around a corner at a knowing look from J’onn.

She flew home feeling lighter than she had in years. 

And Alex doesn’t ever come out and say something changed during their weekly phone calls. But the topics become lighter. Things they never would have discussed before, like a movie she saw recently, some older ones she was watching off a particular queue on Netflix, or how pretty the botanical garden was a night. 

The first time Alex stuttered and lost her train of thought when Eliza mentioned Maggie though, that was the highlight of her week. 

And when Alex introduced them near Christmas, more awkward and unsure than Eliza had ever seen her, Eliza welcomed the guarded detective with open arms. Because Alex deserved it. 

If she caught Maggie swapping the chocolate pecan pie Eliza made Kara with a vegan cheesecake and sealing the boxes back up, well, Eliza wasn’t going to tell on her. Not when Alex almost fell out of her chair laughing at the look on her sister’s face. 

Maggie Sawyer was a Little Shit™.

    And Eliza Danvers couldn’t be happier. 


End file.
